Support Local Charities, Feeding America: 30 Days Of Gratitude

ACROSS AMERICA — After a dayslong stretch of shopping and checking holiday gifts off your list, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving offers a moment for Americans to shift their focus to gratitude and giving back.

GivingTuesday, observed this year on Nov. 30, is a global movement to inspire hundreds of millions of people to not only give to their favorite charities and nonprofit groups, but also to recognize and celebrate the generosity of others.

GivingTuesday and its mission also falls effortlessly in with "30 Days Of Gratitude," a Patch series exploring the intentionality of gratitude and how it enriches our lives.

Living with gratitude goes beyond merely being thankful. It doesn't mean pretending bad things don't happen, but rather savoring the goodness, according to experts on the topic, including Robert Emmons, a University of California - Davis psychology professor who is known as the "father of gratitude."

In short, living with gratitude is "an affirmation of goodness" and a recognition of the good in the world as the source of our individual gifts, benefits and blessings.

Gratitude is not singularly focused, Emmons said in a YouTube video for the Greater Good Science Center, but rather recognizes that the sources of goodness are other people who "gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives."

What Is GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.

The goal of GivingTuesday is “radical generosity” — the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement’s website.

And people are eager to give. Recent data shows that people are highly motivated to give in 2021 and are giving more in response to needs in their community and to causes they care about.

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A broad range of people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday, including families, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, small businesses and corporations.

“Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts,” GivingTuesday’s website reads, “and everyone has something to give.”

Patch Charity Pick: Feeding America

While GivingTuesday has gained momentum worldwide, there are plenty of organizations and causes to support close to home. One organization we’re keen on at Patch is Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

Patch and Feeding America partnered last year to help raise awareness around hunger as the coronavirus pandemic sent jobless claims to Depression Era levels, and families struggled to put food on the table.

Hunger in America has long been a problem that hits kids especially hard. Despite being at a 20-year low before the pandemic, 35 million people were still food insecure, according to Feeding America. The pandemic pushed those and other families to the brink of real hunger.

The pandemic is easing, but hunger is still a pressing problem in America.

Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2021, about 42 million Americans may not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

How You Can Give

You can participate in a number of ways on GivingTuesday, according to the movement’s website. Here are a few ideas:

Give time: Volunteer virtually from your home. Give your voice to help raise awareness for a local issue, lend your talents to a nonprofit who needs your expertise, or take an hour to call a senior who may be lonely. See more opportunities online.

Give support: GivingTuesday is locally led in more than 240 U.S. communities, networks and coalitions. Find organizations to support through your local GivingTuesday community movement.

Give gratitude: Thank your postal carrier, delivery driver and other essential workers. Write thank-you cards, post on social media, and share your appreciation for the people and organizations who are helping your community.

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